CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review the week in music and the music business, including lots of letters about the value gap, the closure of ATP, Guvera’s IPO being blocked, and the recruitment of Take That v2. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital.

Subscribe to the CMU Podcast

Listen to the CMU Podcast and sign up to receive new episodes automatically each week through any of these services…

ATP’s live music business has gone into administration and is to shut down, bringing to an end a long series of financial troubles for the tour and festival promoter, best known for its All Tomorrow’s Parties events. This means that the upcoming ATP Iceland festival, due to take place at the beginning of July, has now been cancelled. All other upcoming ATP promoted live shows will go ahead as planned but with alternative promoters, says the company.

In a statement yesterday, the company said: “It is with deep sadness we are announcing that ATP festivals and live promotions are closing down. After months of speculation, our funding for Iceland has been pulled and we are no longer able to continue, so will be closing down the entire live side of ATP festivals and live promotions with immediate effect and going into administration”.

This is not the first time financial problems have driven the ATP company into administration. However, when it happened in 2012 the firm’s upcoming tours and festivals went ahead, transferred to a new company set up by founder Barry Hogan. Its festivals continued to be hit by financial problems though, often resulting in last minute cancellations – most notably 2014’s Jabberwocky festival in London, which was pulled with just three days’ notice.

When this happened, ATP insisted that its Icelandic event was safe, as it was run by a separate company. However, in the weeks running up to the festival Múm and Blanck Mass announced that they were pulling out, followed by Fabio Frizzi this week – a spokesperson for whom said that this was due to a “lack of communication and the failure to honour any of the agreements”.

A representative for one other artist on the bill also confirmed to CMU that they had withdrawn from the event but not publicly announced this fact, which rumours that others had also done the same. With only 26 acts listed on the event’s website, and day tickets not yet on sale, it increasingly looked like ATP Iceland may not go ahead.

“ATP Iceland festival is no longer happening”, the company confirmed in its statement yesterday. “But all our other UK shows will have new promoters appointed and tickets transferred (all purchased tickets remain valid with the new promoter). We will post details of the administrators and what to do for festival ticket refunds over the next week”.

It concluded: “We are very sorry we could not make this work and have tried to survive throughout all our recent losses but we are no longer able to trade and have to accept we cannot go on. Thank you to all our loyal customers who have supported us and incredible artists who have performed or curated for us over the years and made ATP so special while it lasted”.

ATP’s recordings and music publishing businesses are operated by a separate company and are believed to be unaffected by the live division’s administration.

When the Drive Like Jehu curated ATP Festival was cancelled at the last minute in April, the event’s promoter was keen to stress that its upcoming ATP Iceland event was run by a separate company and unaffected by the UK operation’s latest financial problems. However, with several artists now pulling out of the imminent festival, concerns have again been raised about whether nor not the show will actually go ahead.

With ATP Iceland due to take place at the beginning of next month, Múm and Blanck Mass both cancelled their scheduled performances there in recent weeks, while Fabio Frizzi joined them in bailing on the event yesterday.

A spokesperson for Frizzi said on Twitter: “We’ve made every effort to make this show happen, but unfortunately the lack of communication and the failure to honour any of the agreements that we made with Barry Hogan (ATP), made it impossible for us to perform at this year’s ATP Iceland. It is a great shame since as we were very excited about these shows”.

Múm issued a similar statement late last month, saying: “Unfortunately the terms of the agreement with the festival have not been honoured and the band has been left with no other option than to pull out of the line-up”.

Blanck Mass, aka Fuck Buttons’ Benjamin Power, did not comment on contractual issues, but said in a statement that it was “just not possible to be able to play”.

While some new acts have been drip fed onto the bill in recent weeks, there are still only 26 artists listed on the line-up for the three-day event. The line-ups for each day have not yet been announced either, meaning that day tickets are yet to go on sale.

As previously reported, despite the continued popularity of its alternative music events, ATP has a history of cancelling festivals at the last minute. The latest round of troubles began in March, when the ATP company was unable to meet its financial commitments to holiday camp operator Pontins, which was hosting two planned festivals. The first of these, curated by comedian Stewart Lee, did go ahead. However, the second, curated by Drive Like Jehu, was first moved to Manchester and then cancelled with less than a week to go.

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review the week in music and the music business, including Warner Music and the indie labels’ opposition to Sony/ATV becoming wholly owned by Sony Corp, ATP’s latest cancellation, the continued question over YouTube’s position in hell, and the man taking Kanye West to court over a tweet. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital.

Subscribe to the CMU Podcast

Listen to the CMU Podcast and sign up to receive new episodes automatically each week through any of these services…

Although ATP’s Stewart Lee-curated festival did go ahead this weekend, Drive Like Jehu have confirmed that their already drastically changed edition of the event – due to take place next weekend – will now not go ahead.

Following rumours over the weekend of various acts pulling out and then of full cancellation, Drive Like Jehu frontman John Reis confirmed this morning that the festival had indeed been cancelled.

As previously reported, the event had already been moved from Pontins in Prestatyn (where the Stewart Lee event took place) to Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Despite those changes, Reis said agreements with bands had not been met, leaving them unable to play, and punters who bought tickets for the original holiday camp event had not been provided with the promised hotel rooms in Manchester.

Showing little sympathy for the ATP organisation, Reis began his statement: “After four months of a long and bumpy ride, the wheels finally fell off the wagon and crashed and burned. A search party was sent to Monkey Island to scan the wreckage for survivors and only found Barry Hogan/ATP collecting bits of luggage and body parts for his next show ‘ATP 3.0 The 90s Deconstructed’. Tickets on sale now at Gofundme.com”.

He continued; “It’s a uniquely cruel hoax to appeal to Drive Like Jehu’s ego and ask us to create a programme based on personally inviting the bands and musicians that have inspired us and changed the way we hear music and then subject them and their supporters to this”.

“We really wanted this show to happen more than anything. It had all the makings of a legendary weekend. We were so committed to seeing this through that we remained hopeful (blind in retrospect) amongst the ritualistic turmoil and crisis and trusted [ATP management’s] solutions that would ensure that the show would definitely go on and the attendees would be treated fairly and the bands would be respected and celebrated”.

Noting that he had largely gained information about his event’s future in the same way as the public – sifting through internet rumours – he added: “48 hours ago word started to trickle in that Barry hadn’t honoured his agreement with many of the bands. These bands were not cancelling, but rather did not have the promised means to attend”.

“It was only then revealed that ATP was unable to honour the agreement with the ticket holders that purchased accommodation. ATP is out of funds. ATP offered to postpone the event until November as a solution. No thanks. We looked into trying to salvage the weekend by putting on our own free show in Manchester. But at this late date, no suitable venue is available”.

As previously reported, doubt was first cast on the future of both of this month’s ATP festivals last month when Pontins put chalets at its Prestatyn park on sale on the weekends the music events were due to take place.

Following Reis’s Facebook post, ATP HQ also confirmed the Manchester event had now been axed. It said: “All Tomorrow’s Parties 2.0 curated by Drive Like Jehu will no longer be going ahead. After working through all options, including moving the event from Prestatyn to Manchester, we have had to accept defeat due to its lack of financial viability. We would like to apologise to everyone involved, especially to our customers who were planning to attend the event. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the curators and artists for their involvement, and we are so sorry that we will not be able to stage this event”.

Despite Reis’s comment that “ATP is out of funds”, the promoter insists that all ticket monies will be refunded and, more than that, that the festival firm will compensate any ticket-buyers with travel or accommodation costs that cannot be reclaimed from the actual provider.

Meanwhile, the promoter was keen to stress that none of this affects the planned ATP Iceland festival, though you have to think that this latest cancellation is surely the nail in the coffin for the ATP holiday park events in the UK, which organisers had already brought to an end before the recent attempts at a revival.

A UK tour by Reis’s other band Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake has also been pulled, due to the ATP cancellation, as have two other standalone ATP shows headlined by Soulside and The Gories later this month.

All of you eagerly awaiting confirmation that the upcoming Drive Like Jehu-curated ATP festival will be going ahead at Prestatyn Pontins next month as planned, wait no more. It’s not. But, crucially, it hasn’t been cancelled. I bet you thought it was cancelled, didn’t you? You’re SUCH a pessimist.

The event will now take place at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Things you may have already noted: that is not a holiday camp; it is also not in Prestatyn; I mean bloody hell, it’s not even in Wales. The dates are still the same though – 22-24 Apr – so that’s something.

As previously reported, doubt was cast on the future of two upcoming UK ATP festivals – the other one curated by comedian Stewart Lee – when Pontins put chalets at its Prestatyn park on sale on the weekends the music events were due to take place. Initially the holiday company said that the promoter had cancelled the festivals. Then ATP said that they were going ahead and everything was fine. Then, eventually, it emerged that ATP had missed some payment deadlines with Pontins, which is where the problem lay.

Throughout all of this uncertainty, ATP maintained that Pontins would imminently confirm that everything was perfectly fine and both events would happen as planned. And the venue did then confirm that the first Stewart Lee-curated event was definitely on. However, at that point ATP said that “organisational difficulties” meant that there would be a further delay in getting confirmation on the Drive Like Jehu festival.

And then yesterday ATP issued a new statement announcing that the second festival had just undergone a fairly dramatic shift in its staging. Now based in the multi-room Victoria Warehouse, one of the biggest changes will be the lack of on-site accommodation. However, ATP has said that all of those who paid for chalets at Pontins will be provided with a hotel room near to the venue.

A pessimist like you might ask how – if ATP had, as it appears, missed a payment deadline with Pontins – is it now going to find the cash to rent out a load of hotel rooms in Manchester. Though a cynic like me might counter that, given that the bigger draw was definitely the Stewart Lee event, it’s quite possible a modest number of tickets have been sold for the second weekend so far, meaning not so many hotel rooms may actually need to be booked.

Indeed, it’s certainly the case that the event has plenty of spare capacity. As well as full weekend tickets still being on sale, the venue change has also meant that ATP can offer cheaper single day tickets too. Presumably the hope is that, if people can’t be convinced to travel to the event, the space can at least be filled out by locals with a day to spare.

Confirming all of this from his side, Victoria Warehouse owner James Cohen said in a statement: “After a successful four years of running music events at Victoria Warehouse, we are very excited to be working alongside ATP to bring you the venue’s first three day music festival this April. ATP join a list of ever increasing promoters – such as Live Nation, 6 Music, Vevo, Cosmosis and more – who are opting to work within our venue”.

Though presumably none of those companies arrived at the venue under quite the same circumstances. Further taking advantage of the opportunity to provide a sales pitch for his new-ish venue complex, Cohen added: “The beauty of the Victoria Warehouse is the flexibility of the space creating both intimate and expansive areas, which allow us to create an ideal setting for hosting indoor music festivals. The sheer raw industrial feel of the buildings, which have kept many of its original features, mirrors ATP Festival’s ethos of originality and independence. We look to forward to hosting ATP’s debut event at our venue and building a long standing relationship which such an iconic brand”.

Come on James, let’s just make it through this one first. Don’t get over excited.

CMU’s Chris Cooke and guest Brittney Bean review the week in music and the music business, including the latest developments in the mechanical rights dispute in the US, recent figures on entertainment retail in the UK, SoundCloud’s latest hire and 50 Cent’s unwise Instagram snaps. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital.

Subscribe to the CMU Podcast

Listen to the CMU Podcast and sign up to receive new episodes automatically each week through any of these services…

Organisers of the ATP festivals posted on update on Friday confirming that Pontins had now informed its customers services department that the first of the two ATP events that are incoming is definitely going ahead. The second event is also definitely going to occur, ATP chiefs say, though a few more “organisational details” need to be worked through to get Pontins to confirm that one too.

As previously reported, there was much speculation last week that the two ATP festivals due to take place in April may have been cancelled, after Pontins put chalets at its Prestatyn park on general sale during the weekends when ATP is due to occur there.

When asked why that had happened, Pontins initially said that the festivals’ promoter had cancelled the events, but then clarified that there was an overdue payment which had put ATP on hold on its system.

Team ATP have insisted throughout that the two festivals were still going ahead as planned, though admitted that a payment had been delayed. Friday’s announcement presumably means payments are now up to date on the first ATP festival, with an additional payment possibly still due on the second; though organisers referred instead to “organisational difficulties”.

But those going to the Stewart Lee curated festival can take heart that Pontins have now said that “our customer services department has been made aware that the event on 15th April is going ahead so any queries we receive we will inform them of this”.

Meanwhile those hoping to go to the Drive Like Jehu curated event a week later will have to take ATP at its word when it says “we would like to assure customers who have purchased tickets, or those who intend to, that this event will be going ahead”.

Fears that the two ATP festivals might not happen following Pontins’ initial announcement last week were in part down to the promoter having cancelled past events at short notice.

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review the week in music and the music business, including the confusion around whether or not ATP has been cancelled, Sony’s acquisition of Essential, Tidal’s mechanical rights lawsuit and the all important Boyzlife venture. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital.

Subscribe to the CMU Podcast

Listen to the CMU Podcast and sign up to receive new episodes automatically each week through any of these services…

Definitely not cancelled are the upcoming ATP festivals, despite everyone rampantly speculating about their cancellation, just because the holiday park hosting the events insisted they were cancelled. And then, you know, the bloody internet.

As previously reported, speculation about whether or not the latest two ATP events would go ahead began when people noticed that Pontins was taking normal bookings for its Prestatyn holiday park on the weekends the music festivals are due to take place. The holiday park firm then said ATP had cancelled its festivals, before clarifying that the events were on hold because the promoter hadn’t made a payment that was due.

Yesterday Team ATP announced that that payment would be made today, and then everything should be fine, and people can shut up about cancellations. The bloody internet.

Said ATP on Facebook: “The rumour which circulated online regarding our April festivals stems from a delayed payment from ATP to Pontins. This is something which we take full responsibility for, and are now resolving. The payment will be sent through to them tomorrow, which Pontins will confirm when they receive. We apologise wholeheartedly for the concern and worry this has caused our customers, artists and curators”.

Of course, a big chunk of that concern and worry stems from ATP having cancelled past events at short notice. And, of course, the bloody internet. “ATP customers were given incorrect information by Pontins staff, which was shared online at a rate which we were unprepared for”, the Facebook post went on. “The festival was never cancelled, which Pontins have now confirmed. Our delay in responding publicly regarding this is due to our wish to be as clear as possible as we are still in the process of negotiating some smaller organisational details, which we did not expect to be sharing with you at this point. These will be resolved in the next few days, of which we will keep you updated”.

And let’s not forget the role the bloody internet played in all this. “Unfortunately with the speed at which the internet moves these days, inevitable problems that can always arise in the course of delivering an event can be magnified and speculated about before they get a chance to be worked through calmly behind the scenes. While discussion between parties involved can take weeks to be resolved, the internet demands minute by minute updates on everything and in turn that can end up causing more confusion by people answering based on a sense of urgency and not completion. This is something we want to avoid”.

Yeah, bloody internet. Still, press the button on that online BACS payment, get confirmation by email, update your ticket-holders via Facebook, and the problem’s solved for everyone. Yay the internet!

ATP organisers yesterday issued a statement assuring ticketholders that next month’s Stewart Lee and Drive Like Jehu-curated festivals would go ahead as planned. Though at the same time, the operator of the events’ venue – Pontins – was saying that missed payments from the ATP company meant that there was not so such certainty.

As previously reported, questions were raised about the two festivals after Pontins began selling tickets to its Prestatyn holiday park to the general public on the dates of the festivals. When asked about this, Pontins said that the events had been cancelled by ATP. The promoter in turn said that this had been a “miscommunication” and was being resolved.

In a new statement yesterday, Pontins said: “From today we can state that we have had no funds from ATP and therefore cannot confirm that the event is going ahead”.

Then yesterday evening, ATP said on Facebook: “For clarity, and to reassure customers who have purchased tickets or travel for the upcoming festivals, these events will go ahead as scheduled at Pontins Prestatyn on 15-17 Apr and 22-24 Apr. We would like to apologise for our silence today, and for not getting back to all of your questions individually. We have been working with Pontins management to release a full statement confirming this within the next 24 hours”.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Quietus yesterday, Stewart Lee said that he knew no more about the situation than anyone else, despite being a curator of one of the affected festivals.

The comedian said that he had been “keen” to take on the curation role, because he had enjoyed ATP festivals he’d been to in the past as a punter. However, he added: “Since ‘Jerry Springer: The Opera’, I’ve made a rule of never getting involved in anything that’s bigger than [just] me [on my own]. Because you can’t keep track of everything. And this is the first thing I’ve done in fifteen years that [is] like that. And this is exactly why I don’t normally do it, because there’s stuff happening and you can’t immediately find out what it is”.

He added: “At the moment, of course, it’s terrifying for people. It’s not great for me either, to be honest. You know, I’ve got a babysitter, I’ve made plans, so in that respect I’m in the same boat as everyone else. I didn’t sleep last night, I thought I was gonna have a stroke or something. I suppose the way these things work is that ATP hoped that whatever good reputation I might have would become attached to the event… but the other side of that is that when things go bad, that becomes attached to me! The one time I do something like this, it would just be typical if it goes wrong. But I hope it goes ahead. I’d like to see that line-up happen”.

Elsewhere, Buzzfeed is reporting that ATP’s parent company Willwal Ltd took out a short term loan in January from a company that specialises in helping small companies with cashflow problems. It is not clear if that is directly related to the current situation.

Organisers of ATP have denied that two of their upcoming UK festivals have been cancelled, despite the venue – Pontins in Prestatyn – saying otherwise.

With the two festivals due to take place over two weekends in April and curated by comedian Stewart Lee and the band Drive Like Jehu, rumours of the cancellations began to circulate yesterday afternoon. It was noticed that Pontins were offering chalets for hire to the general public on the dates of the two festivals. When asked why this was, Pontins said simply that: “ATP has been cancelled by the organiser”.

But responding to this, ATP boss Barry Hogan said in a statement: “We have just spoken to Pontins and we are currently resolving this miscommunication. Our events are going ahead as planned”. Exactly what this means isn’t clear – both ATP and Pontins declined to comment further. However, yesterday evening Pontins maintained that “we have it down that the event is cancelled”.

Back in 2014, when Jabberwocky went under, a major problem for ticketholders was working out where they should claim refunds from, with ATP in dispute with its ticketing provider Dash Tickets as to who was responsible for such things. Dash claimed it was just a technology provider not a conventional ticket agent.

ATP is using Ticket Tailor this time, which similarly operates as a technology provider rather than payment processor. Ticket Tailor confirmed to CMU yesterday: “We don’t hold any money from ticket sales. Everything goes directly to the event organiser”.

In the case of Jabberwocky, many ticketholders ultimately received refunds from Paypal, which holds reserves against payments on event tickets in case of a cancellation. ATP is now processing payments through Stripe, which does sometimes hold reserves in some cases at its own discretion. It is not clear if that is the case here.

As of this morning, Pontins is still offering ‘Family Breaks’ to the general public on the dates of the two festivals.

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Universal Music has confirmed plans to move its London HQ to Kings Cross where it will take over one of those plush new buildings next to the station. The new base will house Universal’s music publishing business and sister company See Tickets as well as all the labels. The mega-major’s new base will be a stone’s throw from the newish PRS headquarters. So let’s hope they don’t bring too many stones.

• Warner Music in the US yesterday announced that Larry Mattera, previously Head Of Global Digital Accounts at its WEA division, is to take the new role of Exec VP Commerce, Digital Marketing & Strategy at its Warner Bros label. “Spearhead”, said Warner Bros boss Cameron Strang. Who bought Larry a spearhead as a welcome gift. Possibly.

• Charlie ‘no fucking way, not ever again’ Simpson is apparently considering joining a Busted reunion, or so says The Sun. Despite him steering clear of the McBusted enterprise, apparently Simpson reconnected with former bandmates Matt Willis and James Bourne as they enjoyed their renewed fame. The reunion will occur this year, says the tab.

• The first batch of acts on the line-up for Stewart Lee’s ATP festival next April have been announced. Among them are Sleaford Mods, Boredoms, Shonen Knife, Trash Kit, Bardo Pond and The Raincoats. More info on the festival here.

Stewart Lee has been announced as the curator of next year’s ATP festival, which the comedian says will require attendees to bring “bucket, spade, swimwear and an open mind”.

As previously reported, earlier this year ATP announced plans to revive its holiday camp festivals, despite hosting its ‘last ever’ such shows back in 2013. With a new site at Prestatyn Pontins in North Wales, the first will be a Nightmare Before Christmas weekend at the end of November, with the Lee-curated bash to follow next April.

Commenting on his appointment, Lee said: “Of all the ATPs I’ve attended, the 2001 weekend, when Tortoise curated it and laid American free jazz, European improv noise, alternative country rock, alienating stand-up comedy, ambient electronica, 80s hardcore, 70s CBGBs nostalgia, smart-arse post punk, Dutch anarcho-jazz and all manner of unexpected cross-currents on curious young people, remains a pivotal point in my musical education. It’s a great honour to be allowed to attempt something similar. Bring bucket, spade, swimwear and an open mind”.

It’s alright, you’ve still got time to pack. This will all take place on 15-17 Apr next year.

Now, you remember how back in 2013 ATP held its “last ever holiday camp festivals”? You were sad, weren’t you? Yes. Well, not to worry, because they’re back again now. The promoter’s winter-time Nightmare Before Christmas festival will return this November.

The event will be curated by visual artists Jake and Dinos Chapman, who acted in the same capacity on the very first Nightmare event. It will also see the festival move to a new site, Prestatyn Pontins in North Wales.

Says Jake Chapman: “We are so honoured to have been asked to curate ATP again this November in Prestatyn. Ten years ago we curated the first Nightmare Before Christmas and lost so many brain cells that it’s taken a decade to replace them. It is extremely special for us be involved again”.

ATP boss Barry Hogan adds: ”The redux of ATP is something that so many of our fans have wanted and we are really thrilled to be returning to a new location with Jake and Dinos Chapman, the first ever Nightmare Before Christmas curators so many moons ago”.

The most-read story on the CMU website in August was news of MEP Julia Reda’s visit to the Swedish prison where Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde is currently being held. She later detailed her meeting with the file-sharing service’s former spokesperson, commenting on the difficulties he says he has ensuring his rights as a prisoner are properly observed.

However, the two dominant stories in this month’s top ten were the collapse of ATP’s Jabberwocky festival and Morrissey’s departure from Universal’s Harvest label, taking up five slots between them.

As well as reports on the fall out from the last minute Jabberwocky cancellation, our fifth most-read news story was one from 2012 on the last time ATP ran into financial problems. Just missing out on the top ten, meanwhile, was the final confirmation that Morrissey had indeed ended his licensing deal with Universal, leading to his album being removed from download stores and streaming services.

At number ten is the answer to the question, “What happens when a lot of people Google ‘how is Rick Parfitt doing’ all at about the same time?”

ATP remains in dispute with Dash Tickets over responsibility for issuing refunds to Jabberwocky ticketholders. However, in its latest statement, the independent promoter says that payments processor Paypal is already reimbursing customers itself.

As previously reported, ATP cancelled its London-based Jabberwocky festival with just three days notice last month. An initial statement advised ticketholders to seek refunds from the company through which they made their purchase. For most, this was the event’s lead ticketing partner, Dash Tickets.

However, Dash then said that it was considering legal action against ATP, claiming that it had been a technology provider, rather than a traditional ticketing agent, and had already passed all income from ticket sales over to ATP. The company added that its terms and conditions put responsibility for refunds in the event of a cancellation on to the promoter.

But ATP subsequently denied that all funds from ticket sales had been handed over prior to the cancellation, and also accused Dash of changing its terms and conditions after tickets had gone on sale.

In an update to customers last week, ATP said that while other ticket sellers were issuing refunds directly, the ongoing dispute with Dash meant that this was still not the case for most people. However, it says, because Paypal was the sole payment processor on all sales through Dash’s platform, all customers can seek refunds through that company instead.

The statement says: “PayPal UK are reimbursing all customers irrespective of when the purchase was made, whether they have a PayPal account or checked out as a guest, whether they are a UK or international customer, and whether their purchase was on debit card, credit card, direct debit from a bank account linked to PayPal, or from an existing PayPal balance. PayPal will then take all these cases forward as a whole to Dash Tickets”.

Whether or not the ultimate responsibility for covering refunds will end with Dash Tickets remains to be seen. When ticket buyers are forced to seek refunds through a credit card company or payment processor, it is normal for that company to then try to reclaim that money from the company it had direct contact with – in this case Dash.

The status of Dash’s potential legal proceedings against ATP is currently unclear, as the company has issued no statement since 13 Aug and has not responded to requests for further information.

Independent promoter ATP has hit out at claims made by two companies involved in its Jabberwocky festival, following the event’s last minute cancellation last week.

In a statement on Friday, the live firm claimed that ticketing platform Dash Tickets had changed the terms and conditions of sale listed on its website in an attempt to avoid responsibility for providing refunds. And that PR firm The Zeitgeist Agency, which stated last week that it was suing ATP over unpaid fees, was sacked “for doing a disappointingly substandard job”.

As previously reported, the two day event was due to begin on Friday, but was cancelled last Tuesday afternoon due to poor ticket sales.

“In the past ATP has weathered losses such as this and gone on with the show, taking huge direct financial blows as an independent company”, said ATP boss Barry Hogan in a statement announcing the cancellation. “But on this occasion, with an event of this scale and the high production costs that come with it – if we had gone ahead, it would have 100% been the end of ATP. We do not take this decision lightly and it was the hardest we’ve ever had to make”.

Shortly after that announcement, Zeitgeist issued its own statement revealing that it had launched legal action over unpaid fees in July, saying that “[ATP parent company] Willwal’s representatives have revealed to us in writing that they used the funds destined for us in order to protect payments for venue and artists, rather than settle essential and agreed amounts to our company”.

Then Dash Tickets informed ticket holders that it was also taking legal advice over ATP’s statement, in which the promoter had said that “refunds will be available to all customers at the point of purchase”. This, Dash said, was not in line with its terms and conditions, which put the onus for refunding on the promoter. The ticketing firm also said that it had already passed all funds over to ATP, and insisted that it had merely been a technology provider, rather than a traditional ticket agent.

Responding to these statements from two of its suppliers, ATP said in its new announcement on Friday: “The claim that ATP has received all the funds for Jabberwocky is not true. We have not received a payment from Dash for more than two months. Any advances from the sales before that went straight into event costs such as various artist fees and venue hire. But we have not received all the funds for Jabberwocky sales from Dash, and for them to make statements on their social media saying we have in fact received all these funds is simply not true. If that was the case, then we would not have struggled to stage the event”.

On the subject of Dash’s terms, ATP says: “As per their terms and conditions at the time Jabberwocky went on sale, we were always under the impression that in the event of a cancellation, all refunds would be processed by Dash, as the funds were sent directly to Dash’s PayPal account – not ATP’s. Since then, Dash’s terms and conditions have changed on their website without our knowledge, well after Jabberwocky was on-sale, in an attempt to reflect no responsibility for the payments accepted into their PayPal account”.

The accusation that Dash changed its terms and conditions without informing its clients is a pretty serious one that could certainly be damaging to the ticketing provider if proven true.

Though it may well transpire that Dash’s T+Cs aren’t so relevant anyway, given that ATP is unlikely to make any refunds directly, meaning those who bought their Jabberwocky tickets from the event’s main ticketing outlet will turn to their banks and credit card providers to get their money back. And, one ticketing expert told CMU, it is Dash who the payment provider firms will most likely hit out at, once all those refunds have been made, because they don’t have a direct relationship with ATP, even if, as Dash claims, that’s where most of the money went.

Attempts to contact Dash for comment have not been returned, and the company has said nothing else publicly since ATP’s latest statement was published.

On the subject of Zeitgeist, ATP continues: “The PR firm we originally engaged for Jabberwocky, Zeitgeist, felt it was necessary to announce to the world that they were taking legal action against us. What they neglected to mention was that we actually terminated their services for doing a disappointingly substandard job on the Jabberwocky press campaign and are in a legal dispute with them over the amount owed”.

The promoter adds: “When we dismissed them, they also started circulating rumours that Jabberwocky was in trouble, which of course did not help with advance sales and unfortunately, became a self-fulfilling prophecy”.

In response to that, Zeitgeist’s Jamie Stockwood told CMU: “It’s good of ATP to finally respond on this matter. It would appear that our company, the ticketing agency, all suppliers and all the disappointed fans were wrong about Willwal Ltd. Even their partners have distanced themselves from the situation. This is a matter for the courts now but we are sure the overwhelming recent media coverage and ongoing investigations will ensure the good will out”.

In reference to the event partners mentioned by Stockwood, ATP’s statement concludes: “We are devastated the event didn’t happen. It has always been a dream to finally get together two of our long time friends – Pitchfork and Primavera – and Jabberwocky was to be this dream realised”.

Full information for ticketholders on how to seek refunds is available here.

So, 24 hours away from what would have been its scheduled start time, the fallout from ATP’s cancelled Jabberwocky festival continues.

As previously reported, independent promoter ATP announced on Tuesday that the two day event in London, due to begin tomorrow, would not go ahead, due to “healthy” but fatally low ticket sales. Those with tickets were told to seek refunds at the outlet from which they purchased them – and for many this will be lead ticketing partner Dash Tickets.

Dash was not impressed by this instruction however, putting out a statement of its own yesterday pointing out that its terms of sale say that responsibility for refunds lies with the promoter of the event. It also added that all money from sales had already been passed on to ATP.

Saying that it was considering legal action, the ticketing firm told ticket buyer in a statement on Tuesday: “Our trust in ATP seems to have been misplaced, as their emails to fans and customers today concerning refunds have become deliberately misleading. It is for this reason that we feel compelled to make it clear that Dash has given to ATP all funds that Dash received for ticket sales to Jabberwocky. In addition to giving ATP all the ticketing funds, Dash has made substantial advances to ATP which remain unpaid, as do considerable fees for the work we have undertaken on their behalf”.

The company later added: “To be clear about our service to ATP and yourselves, we have not been acting as a traditional ‘ticketing agent’, but have simply provided online software as a service exclusively to ATP in the UK. ATP has used our software to setup the Jabberwocky event and sell their tickets. This is why the T&Cs went to lengths to alert everyone that ATP holds the funds on all sales and that refunds can only be actioned through ATP”.

However, yesterday ATP again refuted that it had any responsibility for any refunds. In a new update to ticketholders yesterday, the promoter said: “For the vast majority of people, Dash Tickets will be their point of purchase. It is their responsibility to refund the customer, as they were the company that took payments; not ATP. And if Dash are not being helpful facilitating this matter, your next point of contact should be directly with your bank or card provider to order a chargeback of your purchase amount”.

There has also been further confusion over the involvement of other partners on the event. Jabberwocky was billed as being presented jointly by ATP, Pitchfork and Primavera. However, ATP’s original cancellation statement did not mention either of these partners, and both merely re-posted that announcement without reference to their own involvement either – Pitchfork as a news story and Primavera as an update on its website without context.

Although Pitchfork did not respond to direct requests for clarification on its role in organising the festival, it yesterday posted one on its website, stating: “Pitchfork worked alongside All Tomorrow’s Parties and Primavera Sound to curate Jabberwocky, helping to choose which artists would play. We did not have any financial involvement in the festival, in terms of either providing funding ourselves, managing how the money was spent, or receiving any portion of the event proceeds”.

It continued: “Apart from recommending artists, we were not involved with decision-making concerning the event. Our sales team did assist in trying to find sponsorship for the festival, but the sponsors that ultimately signed on didn’t come through Pitchfork’s channels”.

Representatives for Primavera also did not return requests for information, though it’s thought that its involvement in Jabberwocky was similarly more about prestige than financial backing.

In other news, since yesterday, yet more artists from the Jabberwocky line-up have found gigs at new venues. Full details on the rescheduled shows here.

Independent promoter ATP has announced the cancellation of this weekend’s Jabberwocky festival in London. Due to take place over two days at London’s ExCel Centre, James Blake and Neutral Milk Hotel were set to headline.

Announced in February, the event was a partnership between ATP, Primavera and Pitchfork, and had also booked cool indie types like Panda Bear, Caribou, Thee Oh Sees, Kurt Vile, Liars and Darkside to perform. However, in a statement yesterday, ATP chief Barry Hogan said that projected losses had the event gone ahead would “have 100% been the end of ATP”.

In the statement, published on the ATP website and emailed to ticketholders yesterday afternoon, Hogan wrote: “We have put everything into promoting Jabberwocky, and despite healthy ticket sales, all our efforts could not take those sales to the point that we needed to finally stage the event. Over the past month and all the way up until this moment we have tried every possible course of action to follow through in delivering Jabberwocky to you, but the position we unfortunately find ourselves in, as a result of a succession of events that have lost money in an increasingly aggressive festival market, means we are no longer able to do so”.

He continued: “In the past ATP has weathered losses such as this and gone on with the show, taking huge direct financial blows as an independent company. But on this occasion, with an event of this scale and the high production costs that come with it – if we had gone ahead; it would have 100% been the end of ATP. We do not take this decision lightly and it was the hardest we’ve ever had to make”.

Stressing that all other scheduled ATP events, including the ATP Iceland festival, will go ahead as planned, he concluded: “We apologise to all the people we have let down from fans to the bands, the venue and all the suppliers. We have tried everything in our power to save this event and continue, but the losses we have recently incurred have unfortunately been too much for a company of our size to bear”.

As with the recent collapse of The Camden Crawl company, bands and especially suppliers could now lose out from the cancellation of this event. Following the publication of ATP’s statement yesterday, the festival’s PR company The Zeitgeist Agency revealed it had already been affected, adding that there had been signs that things were not going well with Jabberwocky for several months. The firm added that it is now suing in an attempt to claim unpaid fees from ATP parent company Willwal Ltd.

Zeitgeist director Jamie Stockwood said: “Willwal Ltd have failed to pay us for several months. We have tried hard to overcome this situation and find solutions, but Willwal’s representatives have revealed to us in writing that they used the funds destined for us in order to protect payments for venue and artists, rather than settle essential and agreed amounts to our company. It would appear that Willwal Ltd has been experiencing and is continuing to experience cash flow difficulties”.

He continued: “This situation has left our company with no alternative but to pursue Willwal Ltd by instituting legal proceedings on the 20 Jul to recover the substantial debt, to which Willwal Ltd have not responded. This is a course of action which as you can imagine, we have been very reluctant to take”.

Meanwhile, there is now also a dispute over refunds with Jabberwocky’s lead ticketing partner, Dash Tickets. Although ATP said in its statement yesterday that “refunds will be available to all customers at the point of purchase”, this does not chime with Dash’s terms and conditions of sale, which state that “refunds are at the sole discretion and control of the presenter” and therefore it “accepts no responsibility for the refund of tickets in any situation”.

Dash says that all monies from ticket sales through its platform have already been passed on to Willwal, and it is now also taking legal advice on how best to reclaim those funds, along with unpaid fees. The statement begins: “Our entire team has poured immense effort into helping ATP with their ticketing programme over the past several months, investing considerable time, money and energy, all in good faith”.

However, it continues: “Our trust in ATP seems to have been misplaced, as their emails to fans and customers today concerning refunds have become deliberately misleading. It is for this reason that we feel compelled to make it clear that Dash has given to ATP all funds that Dash received for ticket sales to Jabberwocky. In addition to giving ATP all the ticketing funds, Dash has made substantial advances to ATP which remain unpaid, as do considerable fees for the work we have undertaken on their behalf”.

Meanwhile, a grand plan to forge ahead with city-based festivals has had mixed results, particularly in the UK. Although ATP events continue to be very well received when they go ahead, last year a Grizzly Bear-curated edition of the I’ll Be Your Mirror festival at Alexandra Palace in London was postponed and then cancelled. And now Jabberwocky has been pulled just three days before it was due to begin.

On a more positive note, a number of promoters are working to put on shows in place of the cancelled festival this weekend, finding slots for the suddenly available bands on the Jabberwocky bill at gigs around the city. A Facebook page collating all of these events, under the title ‘The Jabberwocky Fallout Party’ has been set up, while ticketing company Billeto has said that it will not charge a booking fee on any tickets for such shows sold through its platform.

Indie festival sceneleaders All Tomorrow’s Parties and Primavera have teamed with Pitchfork to present a new live event headlined by Neutral Milk Hotel. The achingly alternative Jabberwocky, a two day film/arts/music hoorah, will take place (inside) at London’s ExCeL Centre over 15-16 Aug, which will be brill if it’s raining and… less so if it isn’t.

Caribou, Deafhaven, Connan Mockasin, Iceage, Electric Wizard, Earth, Pissed Jeans and Hookworms are also playing, as are lots of other artists. Find full listings within this Festival Line-Up Update.

Portishead and Interpol have been announced as the headliners of the second ATP Iceland festival, marking the debut performances for both bands in the country.

Announcing the news, ATP founder Barry Hogan told CMU: “Portishead have a rich history and close relationship with us, which started with them curating ATP back in 2007 after a long live-hiatus and being the first ever curators for the I’ll Be Your Mirror series. Interpol on the other hand, while being long-time ATP favourites, have never played the event, and it’s an exciting prospect that the eagerly awaited second Icelandic ATP will be their first”.

Also appearing on the line-up will be Icelandic acts Sóley, For A Minor Reflection, Samaris, Low Roar, and Mammút, with more to be announced over the coming months.

ATP Iceland will take place from 10-12 Jul at former NATO base Ásbrú in Keflavík, with a number of pre-festival events in Icelandic capital Reykjavík from 7 Jul. For more info head over to www.atpfestival.com

So, Taylor Swift is making like Justin Timberlake and playing a batch of shows in early 2014. Sadly for anyone not based in London, they all are (based in London), at The O2 on 1, 2 and 4 Feb. Listings and links here.

Justin Vernon’s post-Bon Iver project Volcano Choir (pictured) have announced they are going on tour, too, and so will honour UK/Irish bookings at Dublin’s Vicar Street (9 Nov), Bristol’s O2 Academy (10 Nov) and the Barbican in London on 11 Nov. Meanwhile hear the band’s new EP – a series of remixes of ‘Comrade’, a track featuring on their new LP ‘Repave’ – in a bit, and read a CMU interview with VC’s Chris Rosenau here

Next, it’s Haim time, as the PM’s new fave band plan a springtime trip to Britain, mainly to hype their pretty near-perfect new LP ‘Days Are Gone’, which is released this week. Find confirmation on the live dates, which fall between 4 and 12 Mar, via this flyer.

Lastly yet not leastly, promotions co ATP is hosting a nice array of November-time shows, all at London’s Netil House. Starting on 18 Nov with a performance by mystery LOOP affiliates Soundheads, there are nine dates in all, featuring the likes of Shellac, Autre Ne Veut, The Haxan Cloak, Wolf People and Beak>. Info’s on this page.

Marking a new chapter in the saga – most of it charted here – of ATP, the live promotions co has voided the Grizzly Bear-headlined edition of its I’ll Be Your Mirror all-dayers at London’s Alexandra Palace.

This same event was set back from its original 5 May date (when it was due to accompany a Yeah Yeah Yeahs IBTM event that did go ahead) to one in November earlier this year, with ATP HQ saying at the time that several main acts had cancelled, leaving it “unviable”.

Whilst ATP is still to release a public explanation as to why it now won’t go ahead at all, a WeGotTickets email sent to IBYM attendees reveals there were “problems with the venue and new date”, that meant the event was “not up to ATP and the band’s standards”.

The note adds that fans will be given a “partial refund” for tickets, a point ATP has clarified on Twitter by saying: “That only applies to weekend ticketholders [who also went to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs event]; everyone is being fully refunded the face value ticket price”.

All Tomorrow’s Parties is to slimline its large-scale live activities, it’s been revealed. The promotions co has billed a pair of ‘End Of An Era’ events as its last ever ‘holiday camp festivals’, meaning its city-based I’ll Be Your Mirror fests will become the firm’s core business.

It’s been a rocky ride for the promoter over the past couple of years. ATP boss Barry Hogan announced he was phasing out the company’s springtime seaside festivals back in 2011, and then the ATP company went into liquidation last July. A less-than-positive 2012 also saw ATP ‘end its relationship’ with erstwhile holiday camp base Butlins, moving its remaining seaside fests back to Butlins rival Pontins. The ATP business re-emerged though, and while a partnership with MAMA proved to be short-lived, the company continued to promote its always interesting events.

And so, after that brief history of ATP, to news of its last holiday camp hurrah, a two-part ‘End Of An Era’ extravaganza taking place at Pontins, Camber Sands, from 22-24 Nov and 29 Nov-1 Dec. Staged in partnership with Primavera Sound, weekend one is headlined by Television, who’ll play their 1977 LP ‘Marquee Moon’, and will co-star Chelsea Light Moving, Dinosaur Jr’s Dinos Chapman, Les Savy Fav, múm, Oneohtrix Point Never, Hebronix, Mike Watt, Forest Swords, The Haxan Cloak, Demdike Stare, Wolf Eyes, BEAK> and Eraas. The final weekend, meanwhile, is curated by art-rock icons LOOP, and will feature The Pop Group, 23 Skidoo, Fennesz, Edan, The KVB, Dirty Beaches, Eaux, Hookworms and Thought Forms.

A word on it all from Barry Hogan: “When we started all this fourteen years ago, we had no idea how a festival curated by a single artist and based in a family holiday camp would play out. It was a mad idea that somehow came to fruition helped by the fact that people were looking for something different from the overpriced conveyor belt corporate rock sponsor-fests that populate the British summer. Looking back we have so many great memories – where else would you find Iggy Pop, Matt Groening, Patti Smith or Nick Cave holed up in a basic chalet at a Pontins’ Holiday Camp? The support from the artists and festival-goers alike has been incredible but it’s time to move on and look towards the future, it may also be time to let Camber Sands rest in peace!”

01: First round bids were in for the EMI publishing catalogues set for divestment, according to the New York Post. The Sony-led consortium that bought the EMI publishing company earlier this year agreed to sell off the Virgin and Famous US catalogues, worth between $130m and $150m, in order to get European regulator approval for their acquisition. The Post says BMG, Primary Wave, G2 Investment Group, Ole and Because Music have all submitted bids, and that more parties may join the race when a second round of bidding kicks off next week. CMU report | New York Post report

02: The MAMA Group took a stake in All Tomorrows’ Parties. The festivals and venue operator, still part of the HMV Group for the time being, bought 50% of the ATP business, which was relaunched by its founders in July after a difficult year for the UK festivals sector forced their original company into administration. The MAMA team will help further develop the ATP brand in the UK and beyond, while the ATP promoters will also get involved in other MAMA ventures including Lovebox and The Great Escape. CMU report | NME report

03: AEG confirmed the roll out of AXS.com in the UK. The live promoter launched its own ticketing platform in the US last year, in response to its existing ticketing provider, Ticketmaster, merging with its main rival Live Nation in 2010. It will arrive in the UK as a primary ticket seller for events at the AEG-operated O2 dome, beginning with two Girls Aloud dates, presumably with plans to become a fully-fledged player in the UK ticketing market. CMU report | Pollstar report

04: It was revealed that the BPI plans to try to block three more file-sharing websites. The record industry trade body has written to all the major UK internet service providers requesting they block access to Fenopy, H33t and Kickass Torrents on copyright grounds. No one expects any ISP to comply, but the letters indicate that legal action to secure injunctions forcing web-blocks against all three sites is on the agenda. The BPI successfully got web blocks put in place against The Pirate Bay earlier this year. Meanwhile in Ireland this week, it looked like the BPI’s Irish counterpart had won a similar injunction against the Bay, but then ISP UPC said its customers had temporarily lost access to the controversial file-sharing site because of tests on its network and not because of any injunction. BPI story | UPC story

05: AEG asked that leaked emails be withdrawn from its legal battle with the Jackson family. The live giant accuses people linked to the Jacksons of leaking embarrassing emails between the firm’s employees and associates, dating from 2009, to the LA Times, which showed concerns and problems AEG staff had regards Michael Jackson, who at that point was preparing for his ill-fated ‘This Is It’ residency in London. The concerns in the emails ran contrary to AEG’s official statements at the time. The Jacksons are suing AEG, claiming the live firm is jointly liable for the late king of pop’s death as employers of the doctor the criminal justice system said caused the singer’s demise. AEG says Jackson himself appointed and managed the negligent medic. The leaked emails were seemingly shared with the Jacksons as part of preparation for that legal battle, and AEG says that the family broke the rules by making them public, and therefore the correspondences should not now be submissible as evidence when the case finally gets to court. The Jacksons deny leaking the mails. CMU report | CNN report

The MAMA Group has announced it has taken a 50% stake in the All Tomorrow’s Parties company, promoters of the consistently fine holiday-camp based ATP festivals and the I’ll Be Your Mirror events.

As previously reported, ATP founder Barry Hogan was forced to restructure his company earlier this year, putting one business into administration, after a particularly tricky time for the UK festivals market. However, the restructuring did not stop any planned events from going ahead.

Under the new deal, MAMA will work with ATPs Hogan and Deborah Higgins to develop the company’s events in the UK and beyond. The ATP team will also assist in the booking of talent for other MAMA Festivals, including Lovebox, Wilderness and The Great Escape.

Confirming the new partnership, MAMA chief Dean James told CMU: “Barry and Deborah run a fantastic business and it is a real honour for us to be working with them. ATP’s pioneering attitude and its success in the international market, combined with MAMA’s infrastructure of major festivals and venues is a dangerous combination”.

Hogan added: “We’re thrilled to be joining up with MAMA who have been supportive of us throughout the years. The ATP team is looking forward to working with Dean and the rest of the MAMA staff to develop ATP events throughout the world”.

Elsewhere in MAMA news, the company has appointed Rich McGinnis to the role of Head Of Talent, booking artists for both MAMA festivals and venues. Co-founder of various club brands, The Warehouse Project and the Parklife festival, McGinnis will continue to co-book the latter two events with his business partner Sam Kandel in addition to working on MAMA ventures.

On McGinnis’ appointment James added: “We’ve worked with Rich and Sam for two years now and we know how talented they are. Rich will add a huge amount of innovation and energy to MAMA’s estate and his arrival along with Barry and Deborah creates a bit of a Dream Team for us”.

McGinnis said: “I’m ecstatic to be taking the lead at MAMA in this new era. The confidence Dean James and James Algate had in Sam and I at Angel Music and the results we achieved together is spurring us on for more of the same. Creating exciting events and programming talent is our forte and moving forward with MAMA the future is looking very bright indeed”.

So ATP has just announced its latest live listings, which consist of four London dates featuring Om, Balam Acab, Purity Ring and Band Of Horses.

Psychedelic chantsmen Om – whose new LP ‘Advaitic Songs’ is out now via Drag City – play the Scala on 30 Sep, while witch house project Balam Acab visits Dalston’s Birthdays on 10 Oct.

Seattle rock quintet Band Of Horses will trail the 17 Sep release of their new long player, ‘Mirage Rock’, with a show at the Hammersmith Apollo on 20 Nov, while Canadian alt-pop unit Purity Ring will appear at the Scala on 20 Nov in promotion of their new record ‘Shrines’.

The company behind the All Tomorrows’ Parties festivals has published a statement following the revelation earlier this month that the ATP company had gone into liquidation.

Though the open letter from founder and promoter Barry Hogan only really confirmed what we already knew, that ATP Concerts Ltd had been liquidated, that a new company called Willwal Ltd had been set up, and that all of the ATP gigs and festivals currently in the calendar will now be promoted by the new entity. Though Hogan did reveal that moving forward his firm’s three main areas of business – festivals, gigs and recordings – would each be run through separate limited companies.

The statement reads: “We have now completed a restructuring of the business of ATP Concerts Ltd. This involved the voluntary liquidation of ATP Concerts Ltd and transfer of its assets (including the rights to the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, label, and shows) to a new company called Willwal Ltd. We will also be dividing the business into three different companies: ATP Festivals, ATP Recordings and ATP Shows. The team however, remain the same, having been transferred over to Willwal Ltd – and the festival is still called All Tomorrow’s Parties. All future events will continue as scheduled on the dates advertised and all tickets for those events are still valid”.

Hogan continued: “ATP remains unwaveringly committed to hosting world class events. Since our inception it has been our mission to provide quality concerts for discerning music lovers around the world – our number one priority has always been the bands and the fans and we work hard, sometimes under difficult circumstances, to achieve the highest standards possible. It is a tough climate out there, but this restructuring will ensure that ATP is around for many more years to come. We thank the fans who have stood by us over the years and especially during this recent time of reorganisation”.

The statement also announced that a planned I’ll Be Your Mirror event in the US in September was moving its venue, from Asbury Park in New Jersey into New York City, for “logistical reasons”.

It’s not clear how many creditors the now defunct ATP company had, and who, other than its owners, will be affected by its demise. Though, in the current economic climate, many will be pleased that this popular alternative festival franchise is able to continue.

There was much chatter on the net last night about the status of the company behind the acclaimed holiday-camp music festival All Tomorrow’s Parties, after a Twitter user spotted that the firm, led by ATP’s founder and promoter Barry Hogan, had gone into liquidation. Notice of a creditors meeting was published in The London Gazette last month.

Hogan admitted last year that ticket sales for the early-summer ATP events had declined in recent years, when he announced that moving forward his company would focus on its December holiday camp events, the city-based I’ll Be Your Mirror mini-festivals and more conventional tours. More recently he announced that ATP would be working with Pontins again on its holiday camp events, ending a six year partnership with Butlins, which with hindsight was likely due to the festival company tackling financial problems.

Hogan incorporated a new company at the end of May, called Willwal Ltd, and it is now listed as promoter of future ATP events, meaning that up coming tours and festivals being advertised by the firm will still go ahead. On Twitter last night, Team ATP wrote: “To address the rumours some of you may have seen; there are some changes currently happening with the company, but none of the currently scheduled events or future events will be affected”. Another statement is expected later today.

After having avoided the wobble experienced by the US live industry in 2010, the British live sector has had a challenging 2012, especially in the festivals space. As previously reported, a number of key festivals, large and small, have been called off this year, while some of those that have gone ahead have had noticeably smaller attendances (on occasion, embarrassingly so).

The distraction of the Olympics has been blamed by many promoters, while both Music Festivals plc boss Vince Power and MAMA Group chief Dean James have both criticised the BBC for plonking a big fat free-to-enter licence-fee-funded London-based festival (ie the Hackney Weekend) into the middle of an already crowded market place.

While the Olympics and the BBC’s Hackney Weekend almost certainly has had an impact (especially on those promoting London-based events), a lack of ‘new generation’ headline acts to fill a rock-biased festival calendar, the recession properly taking a grip, and pretty miserable weather (which becomes a factor once you are relying on last minute ticket sales) have all had an impact too.

Given that smaller players in the live sector operate on very tight profit margins even in the good times, it’s widely expected that a number of promoters could be facing administration or forced restructure in the current climate, with some speculating that at least one bigger player could be affected too. It’s not clear what suppliers will have been caught up in the liquidation of the ATP company, though given the popularity of the ATP event and brand, many will be pleased that both can continue via a new corporate entity.

This year’s ATP festival, which is being curated by The National, has been moved from its erstwhile base at Butlins, Minehead to another holiday camp at Camber Sands.

It seems Butlins bosses have “decided to end their six year relationship” with ATP organisers, thus meaning that the festival will now be staged at rival holiday camp Pontins’ Camber Sands branch, which incidentally was the setting for ATP’s Mogwai-hosted inaugural event way back in 1999 (and the Bowlie Weekender that preceded and inspired the entire ATP venture).

In a statement, ATP said: “Butlins have decided to end their six year relationship with the festival. In reaction to this ATP will move The National’s event to our original home – the recently refurbished Pontins holiday camp in Camber Sands – on the same dates this December”.

Those dates are 7-9 Dec and the festival will feature performances from overall hosts The National alongside Sharon Van Etten, The Antlers, Perfume Genius, Kurt Vile, Youth Lagoon, Deerhoof and Menomena. All tickets for the original location will remain valid, and refunds will be available until the end of June for those who no longer wish to attend.

ATP has announced that its festival curated by Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum, due to take place in December, is being postponed until March “due to a set of extremely unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances”.

In an email to ticketholders, ATP boss Barry Hogan said: “Having to reschedule an event like this is no small decision and we realise that many of you will be extremely disappointed, as are we. We try to put the community of ATP attendees first in every decision we make and hope that you will understand when we say that if the postponement was in any way avoidable, then we would not be rescheduling – disappointing the community that makes our events what they are is something we find very painful”.

Tickets for the event will remain valid and organisers are hoping to secure as many of the artists on the original bill as possible for the new dates, with the new line-up due to be confirmed on 10 Nov. Gigs in London by The Magic Band and Superchunk in the run up to the original dates will still take place as planned, though others from Jeff Mangum, Panda Bear, Olivia Tremor Control and Thurston Moore are as yet unconfirmed.

As previously reported, earlier this year ATP announced it would no longer be putting on its traditional spring festivals at Butlins in Minehead due to cost issues, choosing instead to concentrate on its December holiday camp weekenders and other city-based events, such as I’ll Be Your Mirror.

More information on the Jeff Mangum event is available on the ATP site.

All Tomorrow’s Parties founder Barry Hogan has explained the company’s decision to cease running its festivals in May.

As previously reported, a statement released last Wednesday read: “From now on we will host just two ATP festival weekends at Minehead in December (in addition to our I’ll Be Your Mirror city-based events like our Portishead event in London this July). So if you haven’t got tickets for the Animal Collective weekend and don’t want to miss out on the last May ATP, tickets are still available”.

In an interview with The 405, founder Barry Hogan explained: “We seem to have caused a big reaction when we announced this and emotions seem to range from being genuinely upset to also very angry. The decision was not made lightly – we have been wrestling with it for at least twelve months. It was not something we decided on Wednesday morning and announced that same afternoon. A lot of thought went into it, regardless of what people think. Unfortunately, the numbers in May have diminished over the past three years”.

He continued: “We thought if we did just one event in May it would work but that didn’t seem to help much either. I think folks now have too much choice and also in spring it’s high season at the holiday resort so the rates are much higher than they are in December. I do realise the weather is bound to be nicer in May but it’s not like the venue is outdoors”.

Finally he said: “Some suggested we should do one in December and one in May but it’s just not cost effective in May any longer unless we raised the ticket price by £25, which I doubt anyone would want to pay. I think ATP has been very fortunate to have lasted so long and in order for us to keep it going we are looking to staging the December line-ups for the foreseeable future. We can probably re-introduce the spring at some point but for now, rather than to keep losing money we are going to make sure we survive the congested festival climate and keep the standard maintained for the next few years”.

Ahead of this weekend’s final May bash, Hogan put together a fantastic Powers Of Ten playlist featuring some of his favourite music for us. You can check that out here.

The All Tomorrow’s Parties festival originated in 1999 as Belle & Sebastian’s Bowlie Weekender. From the outset, it aimed to be an alternative to larger, more corporate festivals, shunning any form of sponsorship and taking place in a Butlins holiday camp, where fans and artists both stay alongside each other in chalets.

The festivals are also curated by a different artist on each occasion, the first ATP proper in 2000 being put together by Mogwai, while Animal Collective will host next week’s event at Butlins in Minehead.

Having stuck to their fiercely independent principles from the outset, founder Barry Hogan and his team have, over the last decade, built up a whole series of other festivals and events, including the Nightmare Before Christmas festival in December, the Don’t Look Back concert series, which sees artists play classic albums live in full, a US edition of the ATP festival, and its latest venture, I’ll Be Your Mirror, a two-day event taking place in London and New Jersey which is this year curated by Portishead. And, in addition to all that, there’s also the ATP/R record label, which has released music by bands including Fuck Buttons and Deerhoof.

This week, it was announced that next week’s Animal Collective-curated event would be the last springtime ATP festival for the foreseeable future, the company choosing to concentrate on its other projects for the time being. So, if you were hoping to spend a May weekend watching bands as diverse as Big Boi, Gang Gang Dance, Lee ‘Scratch Perry’, Meat Puppets, and Terry Riley at any point in the future, you’d best head over to www.atpfestival.com and buy yourself a ticket for next week’s bash pretty sharpish.

Ahead of that, we asked Barry Hogan to put together a Powers Of Ten playlist for us. As you might expect, it’s both eclectic and very lovingly put together, just like the festivals. Hogan said of his choices: “It’s really hard to try and pick your top ten favourite songs of all time without missing off some champs like Leonard Cohen, Public Enemy, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Sabbath, Neil Young, Neu!, Sleep, Autechre, Kraftwerk, Sonic Youth or The Velvets but here is a selection of ten tracks that hold a place in my heart and hopefully you will like them, too”.

01 Miles Davis – Shhh/Peaceful
This is on ‘In A Silent Way’ from 1969 and it blows my mind every time I hear it. It was a toss up between this and ‘Bitches Brew’ – with his body of work it is hard to pick one single track, as he was so prolific and released so many great LPs. But ‘In A Silent Way’ is a masterpiece and featured so many great musicians like John Mclaughlin, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. I saw a poster the other day for a show from the 70s where Neil Young and Crazy Horse were playing and Miles Davis was the support. Can you imagine how fucking great that show would have been?

02 Slint – Nosferatu Man
Slint made one of my all time favourite records in ‘Spiderland’. Getting them back together for me was one of the best experiences of running ATP. I remember flying to Louisville to meet them and they told me it was the first they had all been in a room together for thirteen years. I couldn’t believe it and was like the ultimate fan boy. I had to excuse myself and go to the toilet so I could do a little dance with the excitement that Slint were finally going to play again. Their performances blew me away and I think seeing them in February 2005 was one of my fondest memories of ATP.

03 Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band – Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Beefheart and his ever-changing Magic Band had so many cuts to choose from but the drumming on this is one of my favourite drum breaks ever. The odd thing is Drumbo, who is the best of the magic drummers (and arguably one of the greatest drummers of all time), doesn’t play on this particular track, but the unorthodox approach that these guys put to their craft is what made their music stand out. Beefheart’s sound is an acquired taste but once you get to the point where you start to like it, you wont turn back. It was sad to hear that Don Van Vliet passed away last year but his music lives on in all of us.

04 Portishead – We Carry On
This track taken from the ‘Third’ LP reminds me of Silver Apples and Neu! but it emerges with its own sound to make it my favourite track by them. It’s incredible how they took a break and returned with what I think is the strongest record to date and the best record of that year.

05 Neutral Milk Hotel – Oh Comely
I read somewhere that this track, taken from the masterpiece that is ‘In the Aeroplane Over The Sea’, was recorded in one take – it’s raw, it’s in your face and so poignant and just gets better and better every time I hear it. There is only one Jeff Mangum and he is like a rare comet that only comes around once every 70 years. And luckily he will be orbiting us later this year so people should make the effort to try and catch him if they can.

06 GZA – 4th Chamber
This is from ‘Liquid Swords’ – a classic record from GZA of the Wu Tang featuring those legendary samples from the movie ‘Shogun Assassin’. Of all the solo releases, I think ‘Liquid…’ is the best one. Not one shit track and the production on this LP has gone onto influence so many artists. He is currently working on ‘Liquid Swords 2’ now so I am very keen to see how that turns out.

07 Can – Future Days
The title track from Can’s fifth LP and the last one that Damo Suzuki sang on. I heard stories that Can used to play in German castles and have these long parties that went on for days on end. That I would love to have seen. Their improvisation, which they learned from being students of Stockhausen, is what made Can’s sound both spontaneous and unique.

08 The Drones – Jezebel
The Drones are an underrated band from Australia. A band that I think in ten years people will look back on and realise how amazing their music is. It’s a hybrid of The Birthday Party and The Scientists and influenced by all the greats from Neil Young to the Stooges. If I had to play someone one track to illustrate how good they are, I’d pick ‘Jezebel’. It’s epic and touches on the subject of suicide bombers, but the destructive music that accompanies Gareth’s lyrics is one of the best things we have ever released on ATP/R. It’s not for the faint hearted but anyone that gives them a chance will realise the magic behind them.

09 Dirty Three – Deep Waters
The Dirty Three hold a special place in our heart at ATP. Their event in 2007 was, I think, the best event we have ever staged. Working with all three members was a joy and anyone that doesn’t like the Dirty Three needs their head tested. So many great records and each performance very different from the last. One of the greatest shows we have ever promoted was Dirty Three performing ‘Ocean Songs’ with Nick Cave as their piano player. The performance was magnificent and I remember Warren Ellis dedicating the song ‘Deep Waters’ to myself and Deborah, my wife who runs ATP with me. It was the song she walked down the aisle to when we got married, too.

10 Iggy & The Stooges – Gimme Danger
‘Raw Power’ is described by some as the best Stooges LP. I think ‘Fun House’ is the one, but my favourite Stooges track overall is ‘Gimme’ Danger from ‘RP’. There isn’t much to say here that hasn’t been said a million times before. The Stooges records are unique and they sound incredible every time you put them on – the sounds that influenced a million bands. ‘Gimme Danger’ has one of the best riffs in the history of music. This record is essential and kids should be encouraged to listen to this every day at school!

]]>http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/barry-hogan-from-all-tomorrows-parties-powers-of-ten-playlist/feed/0ATP to focus on winter and city events in the futurehttp://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/atp-to-focus-on-winter-and-city-events-in-the-future/
http://www.completemusicupdate.com/article/atp-to-focus-on-winter-and-city-events-in-the-future/#respondFri, 06 May 2011 12:52:56 +0000http://www.thecmuwebsite.com/?p=28488

This month’s All Tomorrows Parties festival in Minehead will be the final springtime ATP event, organisers have said. ATP promoters announced earlier this week that moving forward they will be concentrating on their Christmas time festivals in the UK, plus one-off city-based events, such as the Portishead mini-festival taking place at Alexandra Palace in July.

May has traditionally been an important month for the ATP enterprise, their guest-artist-curated holiday-park fests often being seen as the first big events of the summer festival season.

ATP’s statement reads: “One important thing to announce is that this will be the last ATP UK spring festival weekend for the foreseeable future. From now on we will host just two ATP festival weekends at Minehead in December (in addition to our I’ll Be Your Mirror city-based events like our Portishead event in London this July). So if you haven’t got tickets for the Animal Collective weekend and don’t want to miss out on the last May ATP, tickets are still available”.

The festival’s founder Barry Hogan has compiled this week’s Powers Of Ten playlist. Featuring artists including Miles Davis, Slint, GZA and Portishead, it perfectly shows off Hogan and the ATP team’s eclectic and passionate love of music. Watch out for it later today on theCMUwebsite.com and in the CMU Weekly.

Yes, if that headline didn’t make you jump a little in your seat with excitement, well, I wonder about you. Public Enemy are to perform their classic album, ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’, in full as part of ATP’s ongoing Don’t Look Back series.

The show will take place at The Forum in London’s Kentish Town on 8 Sep. Tickets are available now from www.atpfestival.com.

ATP CURATED BY ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, Butlins Holiday Centre, Minehead, 13-15 May: It has just been announced that dreamy Sub Pop duo Beach House will be joining the already delectable array of acts set to play at this edition of ATP. Also fresh on the bill alongside Big Boi, Lee Scratch Perry and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti are High Life, Ear Pwr and Floating Points. www.atpfestival.com/events/atpanimalcollective.php

COACHELLA, Indio, California, USA, 15-17 Apr: Kings Of Leon, Arcade Fire and Kanye West will headline this year’s Coachella out in California. Also on the bill are The Black Keys, Lauryn Hill, Interpol, The National, The Chemical Brothers, Mumford & Sons, PJ Harvey and, somewhat bizarrely, Death From Above 1979, who have seemingly got over their distaste for each other. www.coachella.com

END OF THE ROAD, Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset, 2-4 Sep: The latest additions to this year’s line-up are headliner Beirut, Cass McCombs, Gruff Rhys, James Yorkston and Joan As Police Woman. Also just confirmed to play are Timber Timbre, Tune Yards, Wooden Shjips and the excellent Perfume Genius. They join Wild Beasts, The Walkmen and The Fall amongst others for the intimate folk fest. www.endoftheroadfestival.com

ISLE OF WIGHT, Seaclose Park, Newport, 10-12 Jun: Having dominated this year’s BRIT nominations, Tinie Tempah has been confirmed to top the bill on the Saturday evening of this three day weekender. He throws his cap into the ring with already announced headliners Foo Fighters, Kasabian and Kings Of Leon. www.isleofwightfestival.com

GARDEN FESTIVAL, Petrčane, Zadar, Croatia, 6-13 Jul: Amongst the first acts announced for this year’s Garden Festival, which takes over a 900 year old fishing village in Croatia for a full week in July, are Larry Heard, Art Department, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Tiger And Woods with Norman Jay, Tensnake, Crazy P, Mark E, Future Disco and PBR Streetgang. www.thegardenfestival.eu

GUILFEST, Stoke Park, Guilford, 15-17 Jul: James Blunt, that most personable and sweet-voiced of fellows, has been revealed as the closing attraction at this year’s Guilfest. No other acts are confirmed as yet, but Blunty’s presence on the bill alone is sure to pull in the crowds. Though presumably they’re hoping to not just have James Blunt fans on site. www.guilfest.co.uk

SONISPHERE, Knebworth Park, 8-10 Aug: Motorhead are to join Friday co-headliners, the ‘big four’ of thrash – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax – at the UK instalment of this year’s roving rock and metal fest. Also just added to the bill are Mastodon, In Flames and Parkway Drive. Family-friendly faves Biffy Clyro and Slipknot will also headline Saturday and Sunday respectively. www.uk.sonispherefestivals.com

Portishead have announced that they will play two shows at Alexandra Palace in London next year, featuring an incredible line-up of support acts curated by the band themselves and the folks behind the All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals. The shows, one of a number of global events under the name I’ll Be Your Mirror, will take place on 23 and 24 Jul.

Commenting on the task of putting the shows together, Portishead’s Geoff Barrow told CMU: “Portishead have once again been given the horrendous task of joining up with our favourite festival in the world and choosing a dream list of bands we would like to play with – at least the ones that aren’t dead or in jail”.

ATP NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Butlins Resort, Minehead, Somerset, 3-5 Dec: Tindersticks have been announced to play at the Godspeed You! Black Emperor curated event, along with Throbbing Gristle, The Sadies, Yomul Yuk and Dreamcatcher. www.atpfestival.com

Battles will headline ATP’s annual Halloween celebration, Release The Bats, which will take place at The Forum in London on 30 Oct. Also on the line-up are Beak>, The Field, Tweak Bird, plus Walls who will play a DJ set.

REWORKS FESTIVAL, Thessaloniki, Greece, 17-18 Sep: Sven Vath, Moderat, Autechre and Fischerspooner are amongst the first acts announced to play at Reworks this year, along with Brendan Perry, Agoria, Kraak & Smaak plus many more. www.reworks.gr/2010

ATP NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Butlins Resort, Minehead, Somerset, 3-5 Dec: Wolves In The Throne Room, Marissa Nadler, Growing and Rangda have all been confirmed to play at the Godspeed You! Black Emperor-curated ATP event. www.atpfestival.com

DOT TO DOT, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, 29-31 May: The Chapman Family and Peggy Sue head up the latest acts announced to play at Dot To Dot this summer. Other acts added to the bill include Villagers, Silver Columns, Team Ghost, O.Children, Wax Fang, Lissie, Yuck, Leah Mason and The Crookes. www.dottodotfestival.co.uk

HOP FARM, Hop Farm Country Park, Kent, 2-3 Jul: Van Morrison has been announced as the Friday night headliner at this year’s Hop Farm, joining a line-up that includes Bob Dylan, Laura Marling and Mumford & Sons. www.hopfarmfestival.com

NASS, Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, 9-11 Jul: General Fiasco, Morning Parade and The Dead Formats will play at this year’s National Adventure Sports Show, along with Maverick Sabre, Exit Ten, The Arusha Accord, Failsafe and The Postman. www.relentlessnass.com

GUILFEST, Stoke Park, Surrey, 16-18 Jul: Level 42, 10cc, The Blockheads and The Blackout are the latest acts confirmed to play at this year’s Guilfest, joining previously announced headliners Orbital, The Human League and Status Quo. www.guilfest.co.uk

MELTDOWN, London’s Southbank Centre, 11-21 Jun: Broken Bells, Elvis Costello, Paolo Nutini and Seasick Steve head up the first set of acts announced to play at the Richard Thompson directed Meltdown festival. Other acts confirmed to play include Emmylou Harris, Field Music, Codeine Velvet Club, Martha Wainwright and Beth Orton. www.meltdown.southbankcentre.co.uk